


Daggertail Curse

by Faize



Category: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Video Games)
Genre: Curses, F/M, Transformation, post the two thrones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 21:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21345031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faize/pseuds/Faize
Summary: Though the Prince had for several months been free of the mental burden of the Dark Prince it seems some things persisted, lingering stains of what was and might because of his actions against Time, forever be.
Kudos: 7





	Daggertail Curse

Daggertail Curse

Though the Prince had for several months been free of the mental burden of the Dark Prince it seems some things persisted, lingering stains of what was and might because of his actions against Time, forever be.

It was unusual. They symptoms of what the Prince now called a curse had not presented themselves for a time after the Vizer's death, giving him a false sense of reprieve. In that time he had told Farah everything, or almost everything.

His relationship to the Empress he left out, for her fate still hung heavily upon his heart. All that he had done, had sacrificed, in vain it seemed. Some things could not be undone. The Sands of Time and all the troubles that came with it were always meant to be.

The Prince's mind was cleared only by thrill these days, hopping about the royal gardens, setting sun on the horizon. His regained responsibilities gave him little moment for solace and it was only through deception that he was even here now, avoiding the searching parties of his subjects doubtless looking for him. Perhaps they would eventually respect that his nights were for him alone, but it would not be soon. Marriage loomed in the distance, which caused the royal inner circle to keep close eye upon the Prince, and closer upon Farah, who was to be his bride. Her fierce ways drew him, as it once had done to her, and as she knew the truth, she alone could understand what he had gone through. It had taken much convincing towards her father to not have her return to India for the ceremony, a debate which had cost him the return of the treasure he had taken so long ago, the Dagger of Time. With its return the Prince had insured Farah's presence here until the marriage, which soothed his heart partially as it also tensed it. 

The Prince's dependence on the Dagger left him with an empty spot by his side, one that would not easily be filled by some other trinket or weapon. 

The rising moon was full, illuminating his path at he hopped from sill to roof. It was a wonderful time to be exploring, a cool breeze, the night ahead of him to ease his troubles. Peace was something the Prince was still unused to, but it was not unwelcome. Even the pain in his arm, still healing from the removal of the Daggertail some weeks prior, was quelled on this night. The Prince smiled, thankful for his life and his land, the beautiful land of Babylon. He paused on the edge of the gardens, overlooking the residential district of the city. The people were bustling about, continuing their work and life the best they could around the reconstruction effort. It would be some time still until the city returned to its former glory, but with Farah at his side he was doubtless that anything could stand in their way. His pause had given chance for his retinue of a search party to catch up and he could hear their cries below him, pleading that the Prince not run off or risk his life so. How little they knew, how little they could know to what he has done! Once he was not just Prince of Persia, but in all rights the Emperor of Time!

But alas, what the Prince had hoped would be a light romp through his beloved city was simply the stage by which old worries and new obstacles would arise. The Prince's arm burned furiously, feeling as freshly wounded as the day the Daggertail bit into his flesh. He staggered, wrung out from the sudden onset of pain. Had that dark aspect returned? He could hear no voice, yet he felt uneasy. The Prince slid between two walls putting more distance between him and his retainers. He could feel blood in his mouth from where he bit his tongue but did not pause.

"Prince, Prince please stop! For your own safety, please!" A retainer shouted overheard, searching but not seeing the Prince that dashed below him.

It was too much; the Prince could no longer stand and bear the pain. His knees buckled and sank unto the dusty ground. The wound throbbed and blood trickled from his mouth, no longer able to be contained inside. Something else was spilling out too: from the wound black and ink-like. What the Prince dreaded became real as the black substance danced across his skin, inscribing those familiar golden marks where it pulled away. It feel like aeons but in a moment he was once again encased in the visage of a sand monster. The Daggertail lay patiently wrapped around his left arm, terminating in that damned wound. Where once had been pain now a dull hunger sat which he knew could be satisfied by only one thing: the Sands. The thought made him want to wretch, being reminded of his failures on such an intimate level; nothing being closer than his failure to save Kailina. 

The retainers! They must have heard him cry out as he changed as even now he could hear their cries and footsteps hurrying closer. He needed to leave now, the Prince could not face his people like this! And so he ran as he'd been running since he stole the dagger, away from his responsibilities and into the shadows.

\---

He couldn't go back to the palace, not yet. In spite of himself he was looking for the Sands. The Prince could feel his energy draining every moment, making him weaker and clumsier. With the Vizer's incident, there had been plenty of Sands due to his henchmen collecting them with their bodies and such but now he'd only been able to find the one spring, isolated in a dark corner next to some crates long forgotten. It was dry in a single moment and the Prince was left feeling only minutely more stable from before. 

Would he die now if the Sands inside him ran out? Or would he be stuck in this form as he had been with the Sand Wraith, cursed to wander as a monster? The Sand Wraith, no doubt had everything to do with the Dark Prince, the Prince had surmised as much before the Vizier had died; but what now? Was it the same or not? Could he die even? Death still held a very ill omen, the dark possibility that the Dahaka would be waiting on the other side to take him as it could not in life. The thought chilled him to the very bone and he found he could not pull himself away from such a haunting idea. He swore he could see its damned figure in the corner of his eye, still nearing ever closer to capture him. ...He needed more Sands. If there were no monsters or springs left how was he supposed to get more? Needed to stop. Stop getting wrapped up in these foolish pursuits. If he'd thought back then; if he'd headed the warnings he might have been able to save her if not prevent this nightmare. Of course, that was a lie.

"What must be will always be, even you cannot escape your fate," The Prince laughed morosely. That seer was right from the very beginning. 

The Prince's chest burned and he couldn't help but feel defiant. Why shouldn't he survive now? He had defied the odds in the past more than once! If this form was at all like the affliction that accompanied the Daggertail before, than he had a chance for release. The Prince wasn't far either, a mercy for his weakening limbs. In minutes he swung down beside the channels that supplied water to the city. He couldn't take a chance on the shallow pools here however and thus he traveled westward into the entryway of the palace cistern. As he approached the edge before the basin his mind again ran wild with possibilities. What if this killed him now that the Dark Prince was no longer menacing him? Or if the dark aspect still hid inside could he be releasing something terrible upon this world again by his foolish actions? The Prince stopped. It had to be done, he had to know...

With one great leap he let the water choose his fate for him and the water chose mercy. He could feel the shadows peel away from his skin, dissipating as smoke into the air. Relief flooded his senses and he pulled himself out of the water reinvigorated and alive. 

The only negative thing left was the fact his throat felt exactly like he had swallowed sand.

**Author's Note:**

> I quite enjoy the Princes' story, his character arc of selfishness burning him time and again. You would think he'd learn sooner or later, but he's terribly stubborn.


End file.
